Heretofore, various front wheel drives have been used on bicycles, tricycles, and other exercise equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 682,953 to Norton discloses an auxiliary, hand actuated device for increasing the speed of bicycles, tricycles, and the like. The hand actuated device is used in combination with, or in lieu of, the conventional foot pedals generally employed to propel a bicycle in a forward direction. A pivotal handlebar is connected to the front fork for driving a spring drum or pulley.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,097 to Bono et al. discloses a reciprocating handlebar for converting the front idle wheel of a bicycle into a drive wheel. The handlebar is fixed to a lever hinged in front of and on top of the bicycle frame. The handlebar is fixed to the lever together with a catch, having a mobile stopping tooth which cooperates with a stopping means attached to the steering column of the bicycle, to block/release the handlebar. A transmission assembly, comprising a chain which engages a free wheel coaxially fixed to the front wheel of the bicycle, transmits the reciprocating movement of the handlebar to the free wheel, thereby rotating the front wheel.
German Offenlegungsschrift 4,132,794 to Scheuermann discloses a front wheel drive for bicycles that has a front bar section between the handlebars and steering column that permits a turning movement of the handlebars relative to the steering column. The pivoting movement of the handlebars is transmitted to the front wheel hub, rotating the front wheel of the bicycle.
UK Patent 17,835/1894 to Clement discloses a front wheel drive bicycle having a rod hinged to either side of the handlebar. The rod is connected to a crank secured to a shaft passing through the hub of the front or steering wheel of the bicycle.
German Offenlegungsschrift 3,126,075 to Lehmann discloses a front wheel auxiliary drive for a bicycle. The front wheel drive has horizontally hand operated pivot levers for driving cranks linked to a separate freewheel chain drive.
The above prior art summaries are merely representative of portions of the inventions disclosed in each reference. In no instance should these summaries substitute for a thorough reading of each individual reference.
One of the difficulties of the prior art devices that use reciprocating handlebars is that they require a great angular distance of rotation. The great angular distance of rotation creates the possibility of the user being thrown off balance by the wide sweeping movement of the handlebar.
Another difficulty with prior art devices which use a clutch to propel the front wheel is that when the clutch recoils, a loud banging sound occurs when a pawl wheel catches up with the tooth wheel, or vice versa, in the rachet of the clutch.
Another disadvantage of the prior art devices is that the gear ratio between the handlebars and the front wheel drive mechanism is constant and cannot be varied through gearing.